Burnsville Athletic ClubIn-House Baseball Coaches Meeting

March 13, 2013

Team Structure

• Head Coach• Assistant Coach• Team Manager• Players• Parents

Rookie Coach 1988

Head Coach• Commits to the Team• Ensure availability for most practices and

games• Sets practice schedule/structure• Instills philosophy of game to coaches/players• Communicates to parents • Background checks/Concussion testing

Coaching Tree

Assistant Coaches• Commits to the Team• Coordinate with other assistants so that Head

Coach always has help at practices• Commits to being at most games/practices• Has an understanding of the game and can

teach young ballplayers the fundamentals with patience.

Team Manager

• Calling Tree/E-mail List• Picture Day• Treat List• Relays information from Coach to parents• Team party or other fun events

Players

• Have fun• Learn the game• Learn sportsmanship, work ethic, and

teamwork

All Levels - Parents• Communicate more, not less• Plan a start of the season meeting where you:– Hand out contact info for coaches/players– Agree on method of communication– Request parents contact coach for missed practices

and games. Repeated missed practices can result in limited playing time(contact league director)

– Players need to have a fun, positive experience. 75% of players will not be playing after age 13, and we want to encourage players to come back

Parents – During the Season• Address discipline with players privately,

involving parents where need be• Head Coach is responsible for the Parents! • Individual parent complaints – address as

quickly as possible, in private. If you feel a situation is developing, do not hesitate contacting the League Director.

Practices• Minimum one practice per week, practice prior to a

game does not count.• Start of practice talk – what will we do today• Team run or warm up drill• Break up into stations, keep kids moving• Work on one skill in each station per day-rotate• End of practice talk; what did we learn today• Drills

Mites• Position in the field – Infield/outfield, BAC allows an

extra outfielder. Proper location for each position• Throwing the ball – Proper mechanics/form and

proper grip on the ball• Hitting the ball – proper mechanics/form, stance is

important at this level• Fielding the ball – ready position, proper form• Running – Which base to run to, when you can run,

and base coach responsibilities.

Game Time!

Game Structure• Line-up and Fielding Order– Done before game time, ensure rotation is followed

with infield/outfield and sitting time– Fielding Safety – 1st base and pitching, two

positions where players are likely to get hard hit and thrown balls.

– Batting Order – rotating order or continuous from game to game

Game Structure - Coaches• Base Coaches – Know the rules for advancing

runners• Bench Coach – Keep batting order, ensure players

are ready to hit(on deck), keep order on the bench• Pitching Coach – Make sure they can throw strikes• Head Coach -Keep the game moving by having

players(defense, catcher) ready. Keep your cool, set an example.

Game Structure - Mites

• Liberal player rotation• Resist temptation to allow better players to

play only premium positions• Safety of players at pitch and first positions• Mites play 4 players in the outfield• Pre K/K gets 5 pitches and then an option to

hit from the tee.

Squirts

• Keeping Score– 8 runs per inning maximum– Can stop game after 5 innings, coaches should

meet to agree on score in case both coaches agree to play the 6th inning

– Report scores ASAP– Player Pitch 2nd half of season

Squirts -Rotation in the Field• Players must play 4 innings, 1 in the infield, and

catcher does not count• Squirts is a developmental league, it is important

that players are given the opportunity to play all positions. Try not to “hide” kids or keep better players at the better positions

• Pitch, 1st – Safety of fielders

Add PDF for player rotation

Squirts – Base Running• Players can’t leadoff until ball is hit• Base coaches must be aware of advancement

rules• Try NOT to “run” kids in situations that take

advantage of weaker fielders/throwers• No runners allowed to advance once ball is in

control of the infielder and “in the base lines”

Squirts - Coach Pitch• Distance is 35’ and should be measured prior to

game and a line drawn. Exception for kids who have a hard time hitting the ball, discussed in the pregame meeting with the other coach

• Batters encouraged to be aggressive• Coach/Pitcher must be able to throw strikes

consistently. No coaching of batters while ball is on the way.

Rain Out Procedure -All Age Levels• Rain Out Procedure– Head coach responsible for checking field– Contact visiting coach to discuss field conditions– Voicemail/e-mail is not considered good contact for

postponement of games– Reschedule game as soon as possible, this is the

responsibility of the home team. Contact the league director if you are the visiting coach and are having trouble getting a game rescheduled

Squirts - Umpires• Umpires at this level are 1st year umps• Allow the umps to make the calls• Try to discuss calls between innings• No intimidating umpires, in a couple of years

this may be your child wearing the blue shirt!

Coaching - Conclusion• HAVE FUN • Be a Mentor – the kids will remember you for

years to come, and the positive lessons you teach them go well beyond winning and losing.

• Teach sportsmanship in losing and humility in winning

• Your job is to create ballplayers and memories